Smurfs find a home in China
Beloved blue elf characters captivate imaginations at Shanghai theme park
Just as cartoon characters the Minions are beloved by Chinese children, the Smurfs mesmerized their parents, who watched the animated series in the 1980s and ’90s.
China’s first Smurfs theme park opened in Shanghai on May 29, giving Chinese parents a nostalgic place to revisit childhood memories and their children a new magical land to explore.
Only two other Smurfs theme parks exist in the world — in Moscow and Dubai — according to International Merchandising, Promotion and Services, the worldwide licensor of the Smurfs brand.
The park, located in suburban Songjiang district, is about an hour’s drive from downtown.
The Smurfs park sits inside a larger indoor-entertainment park — Dream City, built by real estate developer Shimao Group.
Near Dream City’s entrance is the Kimbaland Guardians area, where children ride bumper cars and race go-karts, and take a journey to the center of the Earth with the Chinese cartoon characters created by Shimao.
Beyond Kimbaland, a giant gate with a jungle motif tells visitors they are entering Smurf territory.
First created by Belgian comic artist Pierre Culliford, known by his pen name, “Peyo”, in 1958, the Smurfs are a group of small blue elves only three apples tall that live in mushroom houses in a secret village.
Visitors must navigate a forest maze to arrive at the Smurfs Village. They soon discover that they have been magically shrunken to become Smurfs. They can see their new identities with the Smurf Mirror, a digitalinteraction screen that merges people’s faces with those of famous Smurf characters such as Papa Smurf and Smurfette, the group’s only female.
In the village, children can meet their favorite Smurfs, explore and play in the mushroom houses and go on rides, the most popular of which is the Baker’s Jam, a small, self-spinning rollercoaster that mimics the process of how Smurfs make their favorite berry jam.
Another thrilling attraction is the house of the villainous Gargamel. In the cartoon, this evil wizard is the Smurfs’ arch nemesis. He has a pet cat named Azrael. Visitors go through the ghost house full of different sounds, lights and motion effects in order to rescue the captured Smurfs.
Behind the Shanghai park’s concept and schematic design is Belgiumbased KCC Entertainment Design.
CEO Yannick Maes said in a news release: “Our team immersed completely into the world and DNA of the Smurfs and analyzed the site … and an incredible Smurfy story was developed, which fits the building and budget perfectly.”
Dream City general manager Lou Xuan said the indoor design creates an immersive experience and is ideal for parents with children during Shanghai’s muggy summertime.
“The construction took around 400 days, and we’re glad that the coronavirus has been controlled in Shanghai, so that we can open the park right before International Children’s Day (June 1),” he said, adding that the park received an average of 2,000 visitors a day in the past month.
The current operating area covers 20,000 square meters and features around 40 recreational facilities.
Lou said the park will develop its 10,000-square-meter outdoor area next year to add more nature elements.
Tickets cost 160 yuan ($23) for adults, 80 yuan for children between 1.1 and 1.4 meters tall, and are free for children shorter than 1.1 meters.
Shanghai-based photographer Ji Nan posted a photo of her daughter visiting the park on the Sina Weibo micro blog on June 13.
“My girl loves the movie Smurfs very much. So, I brought her to the theme park when I heard about it,” the 30-year-old said during their second visit.
Other attractions adjacent to the park include the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland hotel, built in a deserted quarry pit with 16 of its 18 floors underground and two floors underwater, and the Wonderland Area, another theme park developed by the Shimao Group featuring a glass plank road along the cliff of the quarry and a zip line.
Also nearby are the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden and the Guangfulin Relic Park, an archaeological site hosting artifacts from over 4,000 years ago.